Feeler mechanism for looms



June 3,1930. Q H DRAPER 1,761,621

FE ELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed June 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l m By 7AT-i-o'RA/E Y lNI/ENTOR.

June 3, 1930. C DRAPER 1,761,621

FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS IIUIILIII Filed June 27, 1929 2 Sheets$heet.2

BY J

A TT O'RNEY Patented June 3, 1 930 UNIrans ATes PATENT entice TION,OFIHOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION'OF MAINE FEELER MECHANISM 1 0RLOOMS Application filed June 27,

This invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms whereby the loomoperation is changed when the filling reaches substantlal exhaustion,and the present lnven'tlonis more particularly directed to feelermechanisms of the side slipping type.

In feeler mechanisms ofthe side slipping type the feeler end or tip isusually provided 1 with a roughened or toothed surface which, byengagement with the filling on detecting beats, prevents movement of thefeeler in a direct-ion longitudinally of the shuttle until the fillingis substantially exhausted and is no longer capable of holding thefeelerfrom gitudinallyof the filling carrier or bobbin side slipping movement,whereupon a train of mechanism is set in action to change the loomoperation as by causing replenishment of filling. This constantrecurring engagement of the roughened or toothed end of the feeler withthe filling is liable to injure the latter and in some kinds orcharacters of fillment-constitutes waste and the constant aim has beento reduce this waste to a minimum, while at the same time providing asufiicient reserve supply of filling to prevent the for mation of blankor partial picks. 'In feeler mechanisms of the impinging or penetratingtype, where the feeler is of thesideslipping character, it has also beenproposed to provide a pin or tooth yieldingly mounted on the feeler inan attempt to'prevent side slipping movement of the feeler until thetooth engages the dense surface of the filling carrier or bobbin, atwhich time the tooth ismoved frontwardly relative to the feeler on Whichit is mounted and side slipping action of the feeler ensues.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple andeffective feeler mechanism of the side slipping typewherein .the feeleris characterizedby a pressure receiving or impmging surface extendinglonand a tooth rigid with the impinging surface I of the feeler tip ofsufficient extension rear-j -wardof the trailing end of thelmpingingsurface to hold the feeler from side slipping 1929. Serial No. 374,112.

consists of the feeler tip above recited in which a filling receivinggroove is formed between the impinging surface andrigidtooth so thatwhen the filling is exhausted opposite the feeler to one or two layersof filling, the feeler toothwill pick under the one or two layers offillingand causethe latter to enter the groove and enable thetooth tostill retain the feeler from side slipping movement until the fillingopposite the feeler liasbecoine fully exhausted. Under these conditionsit will be apparent that-the'filling carrier or bobbin maybe providedwith a reserve supply offilllng atone side of the feeler engagingportion j thereof whichwill enable a full pick-of'fill- I ing to be'laidinthe shed on the last fiight'of the shuttle and minimize waste.

The invention and novel features thereof will best'be made clear fromthe following description and the accompanying drawings of one good formthereof. 7 V v In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a feelermechanism provided with the present invention,

"some of the parts being broken away, and positioned for contact withthefilliug in the shuttle asthe lattermoves frontwardly Fig.2 isasimilarview showing the feeler engaged with the. filling on a detecting beatFig. 3 is a much exaggerated or enlarged view in'detail showing thefeeler tip engaged with aworking supply offilling in the shutt i-lligrtis a similar view showing the relation of parts when the fillinghas 'been'exhausted opposite the feelert-oone or two layers; and

Fig. 5 is=a view similar to Fig.1 showing the feeleras having beendisplaced longitudinally of theshuttle andqthefilling opposite thefeeler completely exhausted.

The feelermechanismof the present invention is shown and will'be'described as incorporated in 'afillin'g replenishing loom, but thefilli'ng'repl'enishing mechanism is not herein shown and describedbecause the details thereof form no partof the present invention and arenow well understood by those skilled in the art.

The feeler stand 1 is shown as of the box type which may be secured inposition by a bolt 2, as usual, and pivotally mounted upon the feelerstand at 8 is the feeler carrier 4 normally under the influence of aspring 5 acting in a rearward direction upon the feeler carrier to movethe feeler carrier into feeling position, as indicated in Fig. 1. Asshown, the spring 5 has one end connected to the feeler carrier at 6 atone side of its pivotal connection with the feeler stand, and its rearend secured to the rear of the feeler stand at 7, whereby the stress ofthe spring 5 will swing the feeler about its pivotal support 3 to causeone side of the feeler to contact with a stop 8 mounted on the feelerstand.

The feeler 9 is mounted for movement towards and from the front of theloom on the feeler carrier, and as shown consists of the feeler bladehaving a frontwardly extending stem 10 passing through a bearing 11 onthe feeler carrier and through a rear bearing 12 likewise mounted on thefeeler carrier, and interposed between the shoulder 13 of the feeler andthe front bearing 11 is a spring 14 normally acting to move the feelerinto its rearward feeling position, to which it is limited by a stop orpin 15, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The feeler carrier 4 is provided with an elongated abutment 16 at oneside, against which rests the end 17 of a transmitter 18 supported in abearing 19 for longitudinal movement, the construction being such thatshould the feeler carrier be swung about its pivotal support 3, theabutment it; will slide along the end of the transmitter 18 and causelongitudinal movement of the latter and through associated mechanism,now well understood, cause initiation of filling replenishment. 7 i

The rear end portion or tip of the feeler comprises a pressure receivingor impinging surface 20 which extends a substantial distance parallel tothe surface in the shuttle to be engaged by it, and has a tooth 21 rigidwith the feeler and extending only a slight distance rearward of theimpinging surface 20, the result being that on a detecting beat with aworking supply of filling in the shuttle the rigid tooth 21 will sinkslightly into the filling and hold the feeler from side slippingmovement, while the impinging surface 20 will take the frontwardpressure of the filling in the shuttle and cause frontward movement 7 ofthe feeler.

ing 24 through which the feeler may extend to feel for the filling, andmounted in the shuttle, as usual, is the filling carrier or bobbin Therigid tooth 21 extends only a slight distance rearward of the flatimpinging or pressure receiving surface 20 and, as above stated suchtooth is at the trailing end of the pressure receiving or impingingsurface, with the result that the penetration of the rigid tooth 21 isslight and of non-injurious effect upon the filling durin normal weavingoperations with a working supply of filling in the shuttle.

In the present embodiment of the invention the feeler is shown asdisplaced longitudinally of the shuttle or given its side slippingmovement by the frontward pressure upon the feeler tip, and thepenetration of the rigid tooth is only of such extent asto prevent suchsic e slipping movement of the feeler until the filling in front of thefeeler has become exhausted.

During normal weaving operations with a worki n g supply of. filling inthe shuttle, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, the rigid tooth sinks intothe filling a sutlicient distance to hold the feeler from side slippingmovement even though. the feeler on a detecting beat has a tendency forsuch movement by reason of the frontward pressure of the filling, andthe flat pressure receiving or impinging surface 22 takes the frontwardpressure of the filling to move the feeler frontwardly on the feelercarrier.

When the filling has been exhausted in front of the feeler to one or twolayers of filling, the tendency of the feeler to side slip on adetecting beat causes the filling between the rigid tooth and thepressure receiving or lmpinging surface 20 to be displaced slightly,indicated in Fig. 4, and to enter the groove or recess 22 andeffectively prevent side slipplng movement of the feeler by the rigidtooth picking under, as it may be termed. The feeler will thus be heldfrom side slipping movement until the filling has been completelyexhausted in front of the feeler, whereupon the feeler will side slipunder the frontward pressure, as indicated in Fig. 5, and cause theimpinging or pressure receiving surface 20 to be removed from contactwith the filling carrier or bobbin.

hen the feeler partakes of its side sli ping movement, as indicated inFig. 5, by complete exhaustion of the filling in front of the feeler,there still remains upon the filling carrier or bobbin a reserve supplyof filling 26 to insure that the last pick of the shuttle prior toreplenishment shall lay afull length of filling in the shed under propertension, the result being that the reserve supply of filling 26 may beplaced upon the filling carrier or bobbin in sufficient amount only toinsure that the last pick of the shuttle prior to replenishment shalllay a full length of filling in the shed, thereby reducing waste to aminimum.

What is claimed is l. A side slipping feeler mounted for movementtowards and from the front of the loom and for swinging movement in adirection longitudinally of the shuttle and having a pressure receivingsurface of substantial extent to take the impact of thefilling ondetecting beats, and a single tooth rigid with i i the feeler extendinga slight distance beyond 7 V the pressure surface at the trailing endthereof to sink into the filling to hold the feeler from side slippingmovement until a denuded surface of the filling carrier is presented tothe feeler on a detecting beat and there- 7 upon acting as a fulcrumpoint bearing against the filling carrier to swing the pressurereceiving surface from contact with the filling carrier as the feelerside'slips'in the direction of the pressure receiving surface that therigid tooth may pick under any windings on the filling carrier.

2. A side slipping feeler having a tip comprising a pressure receivingsurface to take the impact of the filling on detecting beats, a toothrigid with relation to the pressure receiving surface at the trailingend thereof to sink into the filling andrhold the feeler from sideslipping, movement, and a filling receiving groove between thepressure'surface and the rigid tooth intowhich filling may extend underthe side stress of the feeler to hold the latter from side slippingmoves ment' until a denuded surface ofthe filling carrier is presentedto the feeler on a detecting beat.

3. A side slipping feeler mounted to enter the shuttle and feel for thefilling at substantially right angles to the lay movement and having atip comprising a fiat impinging surface of substantial extent parallelto the surface of the wound mass of filling in the shuttle, a singletooth rigid with the impinging surface to enter the filling on detectingbeats and hold the feeler from side slipping movement, and a grooveformed in the feeler tip and separating the impinging surface and singlerigid tooth that the latter may pick under the single layer of yarn nextto the filling carrier and hold the feeler from side slipping movementuntil the filling is completely exhausted opposite the feeler.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. 1

CLARE H. DRAPER.

